Discuss: If you were the City Manager of Happytown, USA, how would you reach out to the citizens to better
prepare for emergencies like natural disasters and terrorist attacks where a disruption in public services are
likely?
case 1
Communication and the plans for it are extremely important when reaching out to your citizens during a
disaster or emergency event. The actions that follow the plan is the thing that actually counts. A plan could be
set, but the county might not follow through with it. At Happytown, we have a communication plan for our
citizens and we follow through with it because safety is the main priority. Prior to a disaster that is predicted to
hit and the citizens have time, emergency kits should be made if not made already. Shelters should also be
known to people and where they can go for help. Luckily, Happytown has an emergency operations website
like most counties have across the U.S. so our citizens can research what our suggestions for an emergency
entails and what to do in that event. Drills are also in place like for a tornado or active shooter in our schools.
Some disruptions include cellphone service. Public Service Announcements will still be sent out for those who
do have cellphone service, and those who don’t will have news about the disaster on the tv and local radio.
Happytown has a plan about emergencies set before an emergency happens in the first place so the people
know what to do and it will be reiterated once the disaster is coming. Volunteers are always appreciated once
the event has occurred and Happytown usually has a good turn out for volunteers. Sign ups are on our
emergency operations website and to find out all the different ways to volunteer, visit Ready.gov/get-involved.
Get Involved. (2019, September 11). Ready. http://www.ready.gov/get-involved
case 2
If I was the mayor of Happytown, USA, I would require all places of business, organizations, and schools to
have formal emergency plans that are practiced at least three times per year. I would also give each household
a copy of the evacuation routes in their zones and a guide for how to prepare a disaster kit and family
communication plan. Another thing I would do is offer public transport to emergency shelter facilities. This will
help those who are below the poverty and do not have access to personal transportation. Another thing that
would be beneficial is to offer free public training for disaster situations whether they are natural disasters or
man made disasters such as terrorist attacks. I could also offer volunteer opportunities that can bring
government officials and citizens closer. Both of these strategies will help to assist with community outreach
which allows for citizens to have more trust in their government officials. Essentially, having more citizen
involvement in government activities within the planning stages can help to reduce disastrous outcomes in
times of emergencies. The planning stage is the most important stage in order to reduce loss of life during
emergencies.
Maciag, M. (2015). How Prepared Is Your Community for an Emergency? Retrieved October 19, 2020, from
https://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/How-Prepared-Is-Your-Community-Emergency.htm
case 3
If I was the City Manager of Happytown, USA, I would reach out to the citizens of my town first through the
internet. The internet has become such a big part of our world today. Web-based tools to help with situational
awareness of emergency incidents. Based on the current trend of Twitter, it has proven to be useful in low band
widths and limited amounts of data for the average person. This means that a good portion of the population is
able to use Twitter to receive information for emergency incidents. I would also reach out to my citizens using
texts to let them know of information as well as sending links to other pages. Other pages information include
flyers, documents, newsletters, FAQs, etc. I would always use common terminology. Using common
terminology is the use of clear text in emergency management. It is always critical that all communication is
commonly established and understood in situations like those.